Asian shares were on edge on Monday after a sharp fall in Chinese markets in the previous session, while the euro hovered near seven-month low as the currency braced for the European Central Bank's monetary easing later this week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.3 percent as South Korean stocks fell 0.9 percent. Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.3 percent.

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Automakers are betting that Chinese families will embrace the mini-van, hoping the larger, unsexy sibling of the bestselling SUV will become the next big thing just as Beijing relaxes the one-child policy. Mini-vans, or multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), were front and center at the Guangzhou auto show, where Volkswagen AG presented a supersized version of its Touran and Guangzhou Automobile Group subsidiary GAC Motor showcased a prototype mini-van. Industry experts say the appetite for bigger cars is strong enough in China, where extended families often live under one roof, to potentially turn it into the largest MPV market after the United States, where automakers have sold big cars to families for years.

(Reuters) – An equal number of U.S. shoppers sought to buy items online as they did in physical stores over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a closely watched survey by the leading retail industry lobby, highlighting the growing importance of e-commerce during the crucial holiday shopping season. In releasing its survey on Sunday, the National Retail Federation also said it was sticking by its forecast for retail sales growth of 3.7 percent in November and December, a slight deceleration from 4.1 percent growth over the holidays last year.

Volkswagen's top executives knew a year ago that some of the company's cars were markedly less fuel efficient than had been officially stated, Sunday paper Bild am Sonntag reported, without specifying its sources. VW in early November revealed that it had understated the level of carbon dioxide emissions and fuel usage in around 800,000 cars sold mainly in Europe. The scandal, which will likely cost VW billions, initially centered on software on up to 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide that VW admitted was designed to artificially suppress nitrogen oxide emissions in a test setting.

The holiday shopping rush that kicked off on Friday is unlikely to bring much cheer to investors looking for a revival in retail stocks. After months of uninspiring sales growth and recent disappointments from Macy's and Nordstrom , shareholders of apparel sellers have had little to be thankful for and face a challenging holiday season. Early indications suggested this year's holiday season was off to a slow start.

Rupert Murdoch, co-chairman of Wall Street Journal publisher News Corp , on Friday said he had “strong word” that the Tribune Publishing Co's newspaper group will be bought by a Wall Street firm, while the Los Angeles Times will be split off and purchased by local investors including philanthropist Eli Broad. Murdoch, who is also co-chairman of 21st Century Fox , the entertainment and broadcast group, made his comments on Twitter. In September Tribune's board said the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune were “a cornerstone of our company's portfolio and a key component to our success in the future.” Murdoch did not say on his verified Twitter account which firm would acquire the newspaper group or the timing of any deal.

By Pamela Barbaglia, Olivia Oran and Arno Schuetze LONDON/NEW YORK/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Investment bank Lazard is working with Sanofi's management to prepare a sale or listing of its Merial animal health unit, aiming to land the leading advisory job for the deal, which could value the business at up 12 billion euros ($12.7 billion), sources familiar with the matter said. Lazard is expected to win the role for the so-called dual-track process having helped Sanofi's management in the ongoing review, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Sanofi and Lazard declined to comment.

(Reuters) – U.S. stock indexes ended little changed in light trading on Friday, with consumer stocks falling as investors fretted over early reports on the U.S. holiday shopping season and Disney's subscriber losses weighed on the market.

The suit by Axiom Investment Advisors LLC, filed in a Manhattan federal court, follows a pact on Nov 18 in which Barclays agreed to pay New York State's financial regulator an additional $150 million to settle allegations stemming from allegations about the bank's forex practices. A Barclays spokesman declined to comment. Barclays, in some instances, used a feature called “Last Look” on its forex trading platform to automatically reject client orders that would be unprofitable for Barclays because of price swings in milliseconds-long hold periods the bank imposed after trades were placed, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has said.